Klopp with Karius into the Mission Quarter Finals

For the first time since 2009, Liverpool is back in the sixteen-finals of the Champions League. The Reds with Loris Karius will compete in the goal at FC Porto.

Even before the official press conference, Liverpool coach Jürgen Klopp announced his intention to start on Wednesday with Loris Karius in goal against FC Porto (20.45 hrs in the LIVETICKER).

The decisive factor was the 24-year-old’s recent good performance in the Reds’ 2-0 win over FC Southampton.

It will also depend on Karius whether the Klopp troop will return from Portugal with a good result.

The coach warned of the current leader of the Portuguese league, at least in advance,”Nobody wants to face Porto. They are very experienced, physically strong and good footballers,”he said.

However, he also stressed that his own team was very strong. However, his players would have to perform “exceptional” in order to achieve a good result and thus create an optimal starting position for the return leg in three weeks.

An important factor could be the legendary Anfield Road. Klopp also appreciates the power of the stadium and its fans,”We believe in Anfield. We know it’s a place where viewers can make the difference. But in order to use this in the return leg, we have to do a good job in the first leg,”the 50-year-old described the situation before the match in the Estadio do Dragao.

Speaking about whether he was already dreaming of the final, however, he expressed restraint:”In summer we dreamed of being among the top 16 and now we are standing here. It feels very good,”he says,” but it’s still a long way to the final.